Up In Flames
by Viper Inferno
Summary: Rei and Usagi do have their arguments. But what happens when it really goes too far? Their relationship has gone from friendly bickering to utter hatred. What has happened? Why is Rei like this all of a sudden? Can they go back to being friends again?
1. Part I

Title: Up In Flames - Part I

Author: Viper Inferno

Genre: Dark Drama

Rated: PG-13

Summary: Rei and Usagi do have their arguments. But what happens when it really goes too far? Their relationship has gone from friendly bickering to utter hatred. What has happened? Why is Rei like this all of a sudden? Can they go back to being friends again?

* * *

Up In Flames

_By Viper Inferno_

Part I

It was the middle of the afternoon, shortly after school had let out for the day. A typical after school day in the Juuban Shopping Center was shattered as a large and terrifying youma ran amok through the streets. Moments of carefree shopping and congregating became moments of fear and anxiety for the people as the youma drained their life energy.

Sailor Mars stood in the middle of that street and glowered at the large scorpion-like youma. "Stop right there," she heard a familiar voice call out to the youma, breaking Sailor Mars from her awestruck trance. That voice prompted the youma to release its grasp on the people it held captive and turn toward the origin of the voice. Sailor Mars also turned toward that voice to find a beautiful young blonde with her hair pulled up in a pair of dumpling-shaped buns. She was not alone, however, as the other 3 Sailor Senshi had joined her in the imminent battle.

"We won't have ugly beasts like you terrorizing the people during their after-school activities," Sailor Moon scolded, "For love and justice, a sailor-suited pretty soldier…"

And before she could finish, the youma quickly began to advance toward the 5 Sailor Senshi. "Usagi, I don't think he really cares," Sailor Mars observed, "Split Up!"

"Yes, Mother," Sailor Moon sarcastically replied as she and the others jumped away from the youma and split up before it could get any closer to them.

"Be careful, everyone. This youma's power level is very high. On top of that, it's showing a lot of aggression," Sailor Mercury warned, having already donned her goggles to analyze the youma.

"Then we'll just have to outfight it," Sailor Jupiter responded as she crossed her arms in front of her. An antenna extended from her tiara. And in a matter of seconds, lightning struck the antenna, sending powerful bolts of static electricity surging through her arms. "Supreme Thunder!"

She unleashed the powerful volley of deadly lightning, striking the scorpion youma in its body. However, the youma only turned to her and Sailor Mercury and promptly charged at them.

"I'll get them," Sailor Mars hollered to her friends. But just as she clasped her hands together to charge her attack, Sailor Moon's voice interrupted her, "Moon Tiara, Action!"

Immediately, Sailor Moon hurled her tiara at the youma and struck it dead in the side, sending it rolling down the street. However, it didn't stay down for long as it quickly flipped itself back onto its feet and turned toward the origin of the tiara shot.

Sailor Mars also turned to Sailor Moon to find her jumping up and down, flailing her arms about, and screaming at the youma. "Hey, over here, you eight-legged freak!" she taunted.

"Usagi, what are you doing?!" the dumbfounded Sailor Mars challenged.

"I'm going to draw him away from you," Sailor Moon replied. Her taunting proved to work as the youma began to charge at her.

"Are you insane?!" Sailor Mars snapped, "You heard how powerful it was." But her words fell on deaf ears as Sailor Moon took off running down the street.

"Usagi! Don't be an idiot," she yelled.

"Rei-chan, watch out!" Sailor Venus screamed as she grabbed Sailor Mars' wrist and yanked her out of the youma's way. The youma sped by, nearly running over Sailor Mars by only inches, and started to gain on Sailor Moon.

Sailor Moon skidded to a halt and turned back to the youma. But just as she had drawn her Moon Stick to blast it, the youma grasped her in its pincers, causing her to drop the Moon Stick. Then, Sailor Moon screamed in pain as the youma squeezed her like a vice and began draining her energy.

"Usagi!" Sailor Mars screamed as she ran toward her friend. As she ran, she engulfed her hands in flames and aimed them at the unsuspecting youma. "Fire Soul!" she screamed as she hurled two powerful balls of fire at the youma. With her furious adrenaline-fed attack, she struck the youma in the joints behind its pincers, completely severing one of them. The youma quickly dropped Sailor Moon to the ground and began thrashing about and screaming in pain.

However, Sailor Moon recovered from the brutal attack only to glare at Sailor Mars. "Why did you do that?" she scolded, "I was about to hit it in the face with my tiara."

"Are you kidding?" Sailor Mars argued, "You were too busy screaming in pain. It certainly didn't look like you were going to fight back."

"That's because you blasted it before I could grab my tiara," Sailor Moon responded.

"You were being an idiot, drawing that youma's attention to you when you heard Sailor Mercury warn us about how powerful it was," Sailor Mars rebutted.

"Hey, don't call me an idiot," Sailor Moon snapped.

"Inviting a youma to attack you isn't just plain foolish, it's suicide," Sailor Mars snapped back.

"I was trying to lure it away from Mako-chan and Ami-chan so you could…" Sailor Moon argued. However, her eyes popped wide open as a sharp pain in her back abruptly cut off their argument.

Sailor Mars gasped in horror as the bladed tail of the youma had skewered Sailor Moon through the back. And before she could react, a blast of lightning, water, and crescent light struck the already weakened youma, utterly destroying it. As the dead youma's tail pulled itself from Sailor Moon's body before vanishing, she fell lifelessly to the pavement in a pool of blood.

"Usagi!" Sailor Mars shrieked as she dashed over to her fallen friend. She dropped to her knees next to Sailor Moon, turned her on her back, and glanced upon her face. When she saw that Sailor Moon was unresponsive, a burning sensation from anguish completely overtook her.

She then grasped Sailor Moon's shoulders and began shaking her in an attempt to wake her up. "Usagi? Come on, wake up," she pleaded. But Sailor Moon didn't so much as twitch.

"Hey!" she yelled, "Usagi!" But still, Sailor Moon did not respond. By then, Sailor Mars became hysterical and started shaking her friend more vigorously. "Usagi…. Come on… Wake up, dammit… Usagi?! Usagi?!" she whimpered as tears began to well in her eyes. However, despite her hysterical pleas, Sailor Moon only lied lifeless on the pavement.

The burning sensation finally reached Sailor Mars' throat as her heart started to pound away at her chest. Sailor Mars let go of her friend's shoulders and stood there, completely dazed. After what seemed like an eternity, finally she realized that Sailor Moon, or rather Tsukino Usagi, her leader, her princess, and her friend, was dead. And upon that realization, she threw her head back and wailed, "Usagi!" She then threw her face into Sailor Moon's chest and broke out in an uncontrollable weep.

"She's dead, isn't she," an unfamiliar voice said to her.

"Mmhmmm," was her only response as she continued to cry into the chest of her perished friend.

"You know, if she had listened to you in the first place, she might have lived," the voice explained.

Those words grabbed her attention, prompting her to stop crying. She lifted her head and gazed at the lifeless face of her fallen friend. And with tears still streaming down her cheeks, she looked up toward the origin of the strange voice. There, she found a man dressed in a black cloak, with his face concealed under the darkness of his hood.

"With Sailor Moon dead, you now are the Sailor Senshi's leader," said the cloaked man, "In fact, it's what you always wanted. Ever since you became Sailor Mars and fought alongside Sailor Moon, you desired to be the leader."

"No," Sailor Mars yelled, squeezing her eyes shut and vigorously shaking her head in denial, "That's not true."

"Oh it isn't?" the cloaked man challenged, "If she had listened to you, she might've lived. If she didn't stop to argue with you, she would still be alive. In fact, all you two ever did was argue with each other ever since the day you met."

Sailor Mars turned away from the cloaked man and down at Sailor Moon's lifeless face. She couldn't believe the guilt that she was feeling. They had argued so much since they first met, even over trivial things. And now, she would forever live with the fact that they were arguing yet again when she died.

"But it's not your fault," the cloaked man continued, "You'd point out her mistakes and she'd clash with you over them, because she knew that you were always better than her."

Sailor Mars then glanced back at the cloaked man as he continued, "That's why she constantly holds you back from your true potential. She basks in her glory as both Sailor Moon and the Princess just to make herself look better."

Sailor Mars lowered her head and squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn't believe what this cloaked man was saying about her friend. However, something deep down inside was agreeing with what he was saying. That part of her was piecing together all the bickering and arguing they had done with what the cloaked man was saying. And it was all starting to make sense.

However, another part of her couldn't believe what she was thinking, and she shook her head vigorously at those thoughts. "No, that's not right," she disputed, "She never held me back. I just tried to keep her carelessness from getting the best of her."

"And you certainly did a fine job of that, did you," the cloaked man retorted, "You've been surrendering your superiority to her and letting her convince herself that she was the more suitable leader just because she was the Princess."

And once again, those same thoughts invaded her mind. She couldn't deny it anymore. As much as she tried to help Usagi, they still ended up fighting over it. She always thought that she was smarter and more mature than Usagi. And at times, she did feel that it made her a better leader than Usagi.

"So you realize that despite basking in all her glory, that she's really nothing but a crybaby, a klutz, and a careless child," said the cloaked man, "Why don't you prove to her that you're the more suitable leader and not her."

And those were the last words that Sailor Mars heard before the entire scene turned dark all around her.

..

Rei's eyes popped open as she sprung up to a sitting position. She quickly glanced all around her, confused over what had just transpired. Barely a moment ago, she had witnessed Usagi's death in the Juuban district at the hands of a powerful youma. And now, she wasn't. But, after finding her desk, her dresser, and her classic Japanese décor, she realized that she was back in her room. Everything she had witnessed: the battle, the cloaked man, and Usagi's death was all a dream.

"What the hell kind of dream was that?" Rei said to herself as she rested her forehead on her palm, "I've never had this dream before. But it seemed so real that it really scared me. I really thought Usagi was dead."

She thought long and hard about that dream. It certainly wasn't like any other dream she's ever had. And with her strong psychic abilities, it could have easily been a scary premonition or a revealing intuition. But then again, it was probably just a dream. "No, it was too real and too beckoning to have been 'just' a dream," Rei said to herself, "There has to be some kind of meaning to it."

As Rei pondered her dream, she threw the sheets off of her and stood up from her bed. But as she slid her door open, a strange and sudden feeling of emotional stress overtook her. She closed her eyes and placed her fingers on her temple, as every negative emotion from jealousy to fear to hatred seemed to invade her mind all at once. She slowly lumbered through the hall, her fingers still against her temple, as her heavy emotional feeling turned into a splitting headache and completely disoriented her.

Suddenly, a knock at her front door broke her from that strange feeling. Her headache had suddenly subsided, as well as those dreadful emotions. The rapping at her front door sounded again, erasing any questions in her mind as to what had just happened. "Yes, I'm coming," she called out to whomever was at her door.

She slid the front door open to receive a gleeful greeting, "Good Morning, Rei-chan."

Rei rubbed the last of the sleep out of her eyes and finally looked at who was at her door. She quickly recognized the taller brunette with her hair pulled into a high pony-tail, and the shorter blonde with her hair pulled into a pair of dumpling-shaped buns. Upon seeing Usagi alive and well, she let out a heavy sigh of relief.

"Good Morning, Usagi," Rei mumbled.

"You don't look so good," said Usagi, immediately noticing the look of fatigue on Rei's face.

"What are you doing here, Usagi?" Rei wondered, "It's too early in the morning to be visiting."

"Well, Mako-chan came over early and got me up," Usagi replied.

"Yes, I had cooked a wonderful breakfast and wanted to share it with Usagi," Makoto explained.

Rei only crossed her arms and chuckled at Usagi's response, "You know, it's funny that you're here this early since you're usually oversleeping at around this time."

"Hey, I got up early in the morning this time," Usagi argued, "And I did it on a day that we don't have school."

"Yeah, with Mako-chan's help," Rei argued back, "Besides, the only days you actually do get up are days that there is no school. Anytime there is school, you're always sleeping in. And that's why you're always late."

Usagi immediately stepped back from Rei as tears began to well in her eyes. "Mako-chan, Rei-chan's being mean again," she wailed.

"Oh get over it, Odango. I was only kidding," Rei playfully scolded, "There's no need to cry over it."

"Come on, Rei-chan, you do have to admit that she's improving on getting out of bed at a decent hour," said Makoto as Usagi stopped her wailing.

But suddenly, another strange feeling overcame Rei, prompting her to step back and squeeze her eyes shut. Once again, the same heavily emotional feeling had burst into her mind, bringing with her many feelings of dread, sorrow, anger, envy, and hatred all at once. She laid her fingers against her temples and squeezed her eyes even tighter as many images of last night's dream flashed through her mind at lightning speed. And then, she pressed her fingers tightly against her temples as another splitting headache overcame her.

Makoto and Usagi immediately noticed as Rei winced in pain. And despite their earlier bicker session, Usagi was the first to step up to her, wearing with a concerned look on her face. "Rei-chan, what's wrong? Are you okay?" she asked.

However, Rei only held her open palm out, stopping Usagi from coming any closer. She didn't even know herself what was going on. With so many images and negative emotions running through her mind like a torrential flood, she feared that she'd act on them. "It's nothing," she evasively replied.

"Are you sure?" Usagi beckoned, not buying Rei's response, "You look like you have a headache, and your face is so pale…"

Rei's eyes suddenly popped wide open in frustration, cutting Usagi off. "I said it's nothing, Usagi," she immediately snapped.

Usagi stepped back from Rei's rather harsh response, and rather than look concerned, she felt more disgusted. "Jeez, Rei-chan. PMSing, are we?" she sarcastically stated.

Makoto shared Usagi's concern, yet remained silent. Despite her love and concern for her friend, she didn't want Rei lashing out at her too.

Rei took a couple deep breaths after her sudden outburst toward Usagi. And just as quickly as they had come, the headache and negative emotions left her mind. However, only guilt remained on her mind. Usagi was only worried about her well-being, yet she snapped at her for it. "I'm sorry, Usagi," she said softly, looking down at the wooden floor between them.

"It's okay, Rei-chan. I forgive you," said Usagi.

"She does have a point. You don't look too good," Makoto added.

"Yeah, I'm just not feeling well," said Rei. It was no lie either as all these weird feelings were taking a lot out of Rei. She then back away from her friends, "I'm going back to my room to get some more rest. Why don't you two just go and have some fun?" She then turned away from them,

"We're sorry you're not feeling well," said Makoto.

Suddenly, a light bulb flashed in Usagi's mind, "Hey Rei-chan. Our study group at noon, is it still on?"

That statement drew a little smile on Rei's face, although her back was turned for Usagi and Makoto to notice it. She did, however, let out a little chuckle. "I can't believe you actually remembered a study group, and with no one reminding you of it too," she calmly said.

"Yes, aren't you proud of me?" Usagi gleefully said.

"And you took an insult as a compliment as well. You really are improving," Rei chuckled, "But yes, study group's still on. I should be feeling better by then."

"Okay. I hope you get to feeling better, Rei-chan," said Usagi as she turned her back to Rei, "See 'ya."

"We'll see you at noon," said Makoto as she turned to join Usagi.

With Usagi and Makoto gone, Rei turned back around to slide the front door shut. "I'm sorry, Usagi," Rei said to no one in particular. But just as she had shut the front door, the same heavy feelings of negative emotions returned to her, full force.

"You were too easy on her," a voice said to her, accompanied by a slight headache, "How will you ever prove how worthy you are as their leader if you go easy on her carelessness?"

'What the hell?' Rei thought to herself. She covered her ears with both hands in a futile attempt to silence that strange voice.

"You need to be tougher on her," the voice continued, "You can't hold back from her. You can't surrender your superiority."

Rei squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her hands tighter against her ears. 'This is just like that dream I had,' she thought to herself, 'but why am I hearing all of this now? What is the meaning of that dream?' As she squeezed her eyes shut, images of Usagi dying from that fatal youma attack flashed in her mind. And then, the image the cloaked man flashed in her mind.

"She knows you're better than her. You just need to show her," the voice continued.

'Now I know that this dream is different than the others I've had,' Rei concluded with her thoughts, 'I can still see it, even here in the waking world.' Soon, her headache subsided and all the feelings of envy, anguish, and hatred left her conscious. Relieved of that burden, Rei opened her eyes and removed her hands from her ears. 'However, something about that dream isn't right at all, and it's really beckoning me,' Rei thought, 'Maybe the Great Fire will know.'

And with a sense of purpose, Rei marched back to her room. There, she changed into her red and white miko kimono. Once changed, she left her room and made a beeline for the worship room where the Great Fire forever burned.

She then slid the big doors of the worship room open and walked before the Great Fire. She promptly shut the doors like she usually did, never wanting to be disturbed during her fire readings. Once assured that she was alone, she sat on her knees before the Great fire and clasped her hands together. She focused on the fire before her as it flickered away, closed her eyes, and began her fire reading.

'Great Fire, a strange dream came to visit me last night,' she thought to herself, 'This dream is unlike my usual dreams. And since then, these feelings of dread and hate have been dominating my mind. Something about that dream isn't right. Oh Great Fire, show me the meaning of my dream and why it beckons me.'

"Rin, Pyou, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen," she chanted. And as she chanted, the fire flared up, intensifying the worship room's ambient light.

Rei, however, once again found herself standing in the streets of the Juuban Shopping Center. She watched on as a battle waged on between the Sailor Senshi and the same scorpion-like youma from her dream. So she decided to focus on that battle, and more importantly, its participants. She immediately noticed Sailor Moon jumping up and down, taunting the youma after having struck it with her tiara.

'That is so typical of Usagi,' Rei thought to herself, 'Why, even in my dreams, must she e so reckless.'

But she continued to focus on Sailor Moon, knowing that Usagi herself and their relationship were the focus of her dream. So whatever the meaning of this rather peculiar dream was, it had something to do with her and Usagi. And suddenly, just as she had focused on Sailor Moon, the youma drove its sword-like tail through her friend's back. Rei's heart literally skipped a few beats as her body burned inside from witnessing such a horrible sight. Even though she knew it was going to happen, she still found herself screaming Usagi's name at the sight of her dying friend. 'Why, Usagi, why must you be so damned reckless?' Rei thought to herself as tears began to stream down her cheeks, 'Why did you have to die, Usagi?'

But Rei had to pull herself together and convince herself that none of this was really happening. She had to focus on her dream and not the horror flowing through her veins at the mere thought of Usagi dying. 'What is this, some kind of premonition?' she wondered, 'Is Usagi in danger? Or **will** Usagi be in danger?' However, the thought of a possible premonition did little to calm her nerves. The thought of Usagi being in danger frightened Rei, yet motivated her to search for answers.

And then, the cloaked man appeared before her, much like he had done in her dream. "No, this is the truth," he replied, "This is an illustration of you true relationship with her, and why it is the way it is."

Rei suddenly opened her eyes, breaking herself from her meditative state and once again finding herself in the worship room before the Great Fire. "What the hell?!" Rei exclaimed, "How is it an illustration of our true relationship?" Those words seemed to have little to do with Rei witnessing Usagi's death. And because of it, they upset her.

"Okay, Rei. Pull yourself together," she said to herself, trying to calm herself, "You've got to keep focusing, keep meditating, and find out what this dream is about." So he closed her eyes again and focused on her dream once again. And as she completely calmed herself, she found herself back where she had left off in her dream. Once again, she found the strange cloaked figure standing in front of her.

'The cloaked man again? What does he have to do with anything in this dream?' Rei wondered, turning her focus from Usagi's death to the strange figure before her. 'Is he the one behind the youma attack? Or is he some other sinister figure totally unrelated?'

"All you two ever do is bicker and fight with one another," he said, completely ignoring her thoughts.

'That is true. We do end up fighting a lot,' Rei thought to herself, 'She may annoy the hell out of me sometimes, and at times she's just plain careless, but Usagi's still my friend.'

"That friendship you share with her is just you surrendering your superiority to her," said the cloaked man in direct response to her thoughts.

'He said that in my dream too,' Rei thought to herself as she continued to focus on him, 'But what he's saying just isn't right. This isn't how I feel about Usagi. Yet, something about him seems very peculiar.'

"Wrong. You resent the fact that a careless, slow-witted crybaby gets to be the leader of your team, while a oung, smart, beautiful, and dedicated girl like you surrenders her rightful position," the cloaked man disputed.

And suddenly, a purplish-black mist fell all around them. The sky turned totally black, prompting the street lights to come on and highlight the dark mist. If that didn't grab Rei's attention, then the mist accumulating above the cloaked man certainly did.

"Oh my God," Rei gasped as heart pounded, "Something evil is after me and Usagi."

"No, I'm just here to open your eyes to the truth," said the cloaked man. Then, through the shadows of his hood, his eyes began to glow a bright violet. And once Rei caught a glimpse of them, she froze in place with her eyes locked onto the cloaked man's. Rei couldn't even move a muscle, let alone turn her eyes away from the cloaked man's. She wanted this fire reading to end, but she couldn't break herself from this vision.

"I'm here to awaken you," the cloaked man continued, "I'm here to show you what you already have and what you already know. You know she is unworthy of her title as the Princess. You know she is unworthy to be your leader. She basks in her glory and continues to hold you back from your true calling. Yet, she knows that you're better than her in every way. She knows you're smarter, prettier, more mature, more responsible, and therefore more worthy of her title than she is."

And then, Rei's eyes widened in awe as the cloaked man transformed into purplish mist and coalesced with the cloud accumulating above where he stood. "It's time to break free of your chains. It's time to show her how worthy you are, how superior you are, and how unworthy she is of even being as Sailor Senshi," the disembodied cloaked man's voice preached, "Draw from your resentment of her. Draw from your jealousy. Draw from your hatred. Let it fuel your desire to see her fall. Don't hold back!"

And with that last sentence, the cloud of dark mist hurled itself directly at the awestruck and terrified Rei. At the same time, the Great Fire exploded into a furious burn. The energy from the dark mist struck Rei in the face, knocking her away from the fire and to the floor, unconscious.

..

A half-hour later, Rei awoke from her awful vision and found herself to be still in the worship room and still on the floor. Obviously, no one noticed nor overheard anything unusual to have left her undisturbed. But why? That was probably the most intense fire reading she had ever performed. So how could Grandpa or Yuuichirou not have noticed?

But that was merely a moot point. As Rei sat up, she pondered the meaning of her fire reading. It wasn't so much the strange nightmare of Usagi's death that was dominating her mind anymore, but rather a totally different feeling altogether. She once again felt a strong bout of envy, anger, lust, and hatred all at the same time. But along with that, she felt a great deal of pride and confidence in herself, and a rather strange comfort in her dark emotions. And along with those feelings came desire, the desire to see that dream come true.

Rei smiled at her thoughts as she rose from the wooden floor and slid the big doors open to leave the worship room. On her way to her room, Yuuichirou entered the hallway from the bath after having cleaned. When he saw Rei, he immediately noticed the rather strange smile she was wearing, something very atypical of her. "Are you okay, Rei-san?" he asked.

"Of course," Rei immediately replied, "I've never felt better." As she disappeared into her room, Yuuchirou merely stood there, completely dumbfounded. 'I wonder what has her so happy after one of her fire readings?' he thought to himself, 'Perhaps she saw something that she really liked.' After that simple conclusion, Yuuichirou took his cloth, scrub brush, and bucket and began cleaning the hallway.

..

_Past Noon..._

Just as previously arranged, Usagi, Makoto, Ami, Minako, and Rei were gathered in the living room for their study group. Various textbooks and notes from various subjects were scattered about the large wooden table. With this being one of their first study groups together, much of their studies were rather disorganized. It wasn't until about an hour into their studies that the girls actually joined together, with Literature Translation as the subject.

"Now, Usagi-chan, let's try this again, just like I showed you," said Ami, trying to help Usagi with translating a British short story into Japanese. Rei was already somewhat ahead of the rest of the group as she was getting her help from Minako, who already knew plenty of English from her time in London. So, Usagi tried translating the passage again," And so Beowulf...hugged his sword..."

"Held, Usagi-chan, held," Ami corrected.

"...held his sword high and yelled. And the people joined him with their party..." Usagi continued.

"Umm, Usagi-chan? I don't thing it was a party they were having," said Ami, "Think about it for a minute. He raised his sword and gave a warrior's cry. Normally, the people would cheer for their hero as they set out to slay Grendel..."

"Oh, why does English have to be so hard to learn," Usagi complained, interrupting Ami.

That, on top of Usagi's constant errors in translation, had finally grabbed Rei's attention. It was the third time that Usagi couldn't get the translation of the same passage right. And the fact that she was going nowhere fast frustrated her. 'She constantly holds you back from your true potential,' a voice said to her in her mind.

"Come on, Usagi, this isn't that hard," Rei snapped.

"Speak for yourself, Rei-chan," Usagi argued, "You have Minako-chan helping you with your English."

"And you have Ami-chan helping you with yours, and you're still getting nowhere," said Rei, "Surely, you know this story."

"But I've never read this story before, not even in Japanese," said Usagi.

"Then why the hell are you even studying with us if you're not learning anything from it," Rei said more sternly.

"Hey, at least I'm trying," Usagi argued.

"I don't know why you're even trying," said Rei, "Of all the 'trying' you say you do, all you have to show for it are a bunch of red marks on exams."

Makoto and Minako only gazed at the bickering duo with sweat drops hanging, as was their usual reaction to their constant bickering. Ami, on the other hand, hung her head in disappointment as Usagi and Rei continued. "Oh no, they're at it again," she moaned.

"And you always act so childish when it comes to exams, studying, and school. You never take it seriously. That's why you're always getting red marks," Rei continued.

"I don't always get red marks," Usagi protested.

"Bullshit, Usagi," Rei snapped, raising her voice at Usagi, "All you ever do is complain about the red marks you get. You complain, you whine, you cry, you moan, and you bitch about everything."

"Uh... Rei-chan, can we go back to..." Minako began to suggest.

"Butt out, Minako," Rei scornfully interrupted, startling Minako. "Uh... okay," she meekly replied.

"That's not true," Usagi argued.

"Oh it's not?" Rei challenged, "You know, you're right about yourself. You're nothing but a crybaby and a klutz. And more than that, you're an idiot.

In response to Rei's insults, tears began to well in Usagi's eyes. "Ami-chan, Rei-chan's being mean again," she whined.

"See what I mean?" said Rei, "You always whine and cry to someone else every time something doesn't go your way. And it's really starting to piss me off. Face it, Usagi, you're nothing but a childish idiot."

"I am **not** an idiot," Usagi yelled.

"Oh yeah? You're always falling behind the rest of us. You never catch on when we study together. You're always holding us back because we have to pickup your slack," Rei yelled back.

"That doesn't make me an idiot," Usagi responded.

"I don't know why I even bother with you," Rei continued, "Why should I be helping you when you're always being a whining idiot? I'm sick of you holding me back."

"If you weren't always saying such mean things every time I mess up, I wouldn't complain so much," Usagi yelled.

"If you would just grow up and stop acting like a baby every time something goes wrong..." Rei yelled back.

"Okay, I think our study group is over," Makoto said meekly as she began to gather her text books. Ami was also closing her text book and beginning to gather hers, with Minako helping her.

"See, Usagi? Now everyone is leaving," Rei commented, "I hope you're happy, you big baby."

And immediately, Usagi threw her arms down in frustration and stomped her foot toward Rei. "That's because no one likes it when you act like a high and mighty bitch..." she yelled, only to be cut off as Rei slapped her across the left side of her face. Everyone else in the room grimaced at its sharp sound.

Usagi placed her hand on her stinging cheek and began to rub it. She then turned back to Rei with tear-filled eyes. "Rei-chan... why?" she whimpered.

"Go ahead, cry your little heart out," Rei taunted, "That's all you're ever good at."

Usagi sniffled as more tears welled in her eyes. Everyone else just stood and watched, totally speechless, as their arguing had taken a turn for the worst. "Rei-chan, why are you doing this?" Usagi whimpered, "Why have you become so spiteful all of a sudden? Aren't we supposed to be friends?"

"Friends?" Rei sarcastically replied before breaking out into a rather disparaging laugh, "Oh God, that's so absurd, it makes me laugh. How the hell could someone as smart and beautiful as I ever be friends with a dumb ass, cowardly bimbo like you?"

"I think we'd better be going now," said Ami, having heard quite enough of Rei's tirade. However, neither Rei nor Usagi paid any attention as the others finished gathering their things.

"What do you mean?" said Usagi.

"Usagi, let me put it bluntly since you're so dense," Rei replied, "I despise you, I hate you, and I wish we never would have met."

Usagi had finally heard enough and broke out wailing. Ami immediately walked over to Usagi and took her trembling hand into hers. Then, she turned to Rei. "Rei-chan? What has gotten into you?" she scornfully asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" was Rei's only response.

"Rei-chan hates me," Usagi wailed as she continued weeping.

"Bingo! You know, for once you understand," said Rei, "I do hate you. Now why don't you just get the hell out of my house. Your presence here is a disgrace to this shrine, you crybaby little bitch. And don't ever think of us as friends anymore. We were never friends. Do you understand? Never!"

Ami was already guiding the crying Usagi toward the front door as Rei threw her insults. Makoto had already left and Minako had gone to the washroom. "Come on, Usagi-chan, let's go," said Ami. As they slid their shoes on, Ami turned and glared at Rei, "I hope you're happy."

"Ha, I've never felt happier," Rei boasted.

Disgusted, Ami haughtily turned away and left the shrine with Usagi.

Left all alone, Rei smiled. "Yes, how can someone as smart and beautiful as I ever be friends with someone like her," she said to herself, dwelling on that one statement to Usagi.

"Very good. You've finally asserted your superiority," a somewhat ethereal voice said to Rei. And all of a sudden, an even stronger feeling of anger and hate invaded her mind. Her eyes widened and her heart pounded away at her chest as the sudden rush of malice overtook her. And then, the cloaked man appeared before her right in the middle of her living room.

"That is the way you should be," said the cloaked man, "You made her realize her inferiority and exposed her true self. And at the same time, you embraced your own true self." And then, the cloaked man disappeared, leaving Rei to her overpowering sense of rage.

"You must bask in your true self," his voice continued, "Only your resentment and hatred toward her will result in her downfall." Rei slammed her palm against her temples as that overwhelming since of rage became a splitting headache.

"Despise her, hate her, loath her," the cloaked man's voice beckoned. Rei's heart slammed against her chest as his words and the strong sense of negative emotions beckoned her. She breathed in and out quite heavily from her extreme stress.

"And embrace your desire to see her dead," he continued.

That was the last straw for Rei. Her anger became so overwhelming that she let out a loud scream. And with that scream came a rush of adrenaline flowing through her veins. And fueled by her rage, she grabbed the large wooden table and jerked it off the floor without as much as a grunt. She then screamed again as she hurled it against the wall with seemingly no effort, shattering it upon impact.

Still breathing heavily, she glanced at her open hands, perplexed over her sudden surge of strength.

..

Meanwhile, Minako had just finished washing herself up and was about to leave when she saw Rei hurl the table into the wall. The thundering crash from the shattering of the table stopped her dead in her tracks. Her eyes popped wide open as she was completely shocked and amazed at what she just witnessed. 'Oh my God, what's gotten into Rei-chan?' she thought, 'I've never seen such strength before, not even from Mako-chan.'

Quickly getting over the shock, she swiftly backed into the hallway to hide, remembering Rei's tirade from earlier. What made Rei suddenly scream and throw the table at the wall? Minako did not know. But one thing was certain; she had to get out of there. Something wasn't right about Rei and she was afraid to find out first hand, so she couldn't leave through the front door. She thought quickly, spun on her heel, and marched down the hall and out the back way.

She ran around back to the front door, remembering that she still had to grab her shoes, not wanting to walk all the way back to Shiba Koen in her socks. Once there, she peeked inside, finding Rei in some kind of trance with her back turned to the door. So she quietly grabbed her shoes, slipped them on, and ran from the shrine as quickly as she could.

..

Back inside, Yuuichirou walked into the living room after hearing all the commotion. "Is everything okay, Rei-san?" he asked, "I heard a lot of shouting in here, and then a loud crash."

"It was nothing, Yuuichirou," Rei replied.

"Are you sure?" he questioned, not buying her lie, especially after noticing the broken pieces of table scattered about the floor, "Did you girls have a fight?"

"Enough!" Rei shouted, startling Yuuichirou. She stomped over to the front door, and then stopped and reevaluated her actions. Despite her rage, she began to feel a little remorse. "I'm sorry, Yuuichirou," she calmly apologized, "I just have way too much on my mind right now." She then slid into her shoes and turned to leave out the front door.

"Where are you going?" Yuuichirou asked.

"Out for a walk to clear my mind," Rei replied as she disappeared out the door, leaving Yuuichirou to his thoughts.

'I wonder what happened,' he thought to himself, 'She was in such a good mood this morning, and unusually so. Now, she seems overly stressed and hateful. Something about her isn't right.' And with those thoughts, Yuuichirou kneeled down to the floor and began to pick up the pieces of shattered table from the floor.

_end of Part I_

* * *

Disclaimer: As usual, Sailor Moon and most of the characters ain't mine, but belong to Naoko Takeuchi. And God bless that woman for creating such great entertainment for all of us with a lot of free time on our hands to enjoy. The English dub belongs to DiC Entertainment and Cloverway, and I only thank them for bringing' it to America, nothin' more. But Russell Hino/Hino Kyodai, Tuxedo Inferno, Titanius, and Deanna Kokorono/Kokorono Meijin are MINE (in a growling voice). So, please don't sue me. I'm just a lonely man who ain't got anythang but his pride. Well, y'all enjoy this fanfic and e-mail me.

Have fun Sailor Moon fans,  
Viper Inferno  
(Y2V)


	2. Part II

Title: Up In Flames - Part II

Author: Viper Inferno

Genre: Dark Drama

Rated: PG-13

Summary: Rei and Usagi do have their arguments. But what happens when it really goes too far? Their relationship has gone from friendly bickering to utter hatred. What has happened? Why is Rei like this all of a sudden? Can they go back to being friends again?

* * *

Up In Flames

_By Viper Inferno_

Part II

Minako ran down the streets of the Juuban District, having run far away from the Hikawa Jinja after witnessing Rei's unusual yet amazing strength. Even though she was more than far enough from the shrine, she continued to run like she was afraid for her life, never slowing down to catch her breath. It wasn't like she was afraid of having been discovered and subsequently chased down, but rather she was perplexed at what she had seen.

She knew something wasn't right and she had to tell someone, whether it was Ami, Makoto, or Usagi. However, she had no clue where the three girls were going to go after their study group. In addition, she was the last one to leave the shrine after washing up in Rei's washroom. Whether they were still together at this point or not, they couldn't have traveled very far. So she so she decided to keep running until she caught up with one of them.

But as she ran, something else left her both concerned and quite confused: The rather harsh argument between Rei and Usagi. Although she already knew about how they liked to bicker over the most trivial things, having witnessed it herself in the short time that she's known them, today was by far the worse she had ever seen. The things Rei said about Usagi weren't just Rei's usual insults, they were meant to inflict emotional pain and suffering. It made Minako angry when she heard them. She may not have known the whole history between them, but she knew that something was rather peculiar, and her witnessing Rei's unusual display of fury-driven strength proved it.

After a while of running, Minako turned a corner in the Juuban Shopping District and quickly found a high brunette ponytail held by jade green barrettes. If that wasn't enough, it was accompanied by a pair of blonde dumpling-shaped buns. Having discovered two of her friends, Minako found her second wind and sprinted toward them.

"Mako-chan, Usagi-chan, wait up," she hollered as she swam through the people, drawing a few odd glances from them.

Makoto and Usagi stopped and turned around to find Minako sprinting to them. She stopped before them, hung her head down, and rested her palms on her knees. She was breathing quite heavily from her journey, leaving Makoto and Usagi wondering.

"What is it, Minako-chan? And why were you running?" Makoto asked.

After catching her breath, Minako looked up at her friends and responded, "It's Rei-chan."

"What about her?" Usagi immediately asked, still showing concern despite their really bad argument and apparent end to their friendship.

"I couldn't believe it," Minako replied, still breathing heavily, "She just picked the living room table and threw it against the wall like she was some kind of bodybuilder. I've never seen anyone with that kind of strength, not even you, Mako-chan."

"I can't believe it either," said Makoto, "We saw Rei-chan this morning before study group, and she wasn't feeling well at all. Surely someone who is sick couldn't have displayed any kind of strength."

"But, but...," Minako started to refute.

"Come on, Minako-chan," Makoto interrupted, "We know Rei-chan. And she doesn't have the same kind of physical strength that I have. You were probably imagining it, trying to find something to excuse Rei-chan's actions."

"I'm telling the truth," Minako pleaded, "I saw it with my own two eyes. You've got to believe me."

"Enough, Minako-chan," Makoto snapped, "Come on, Usagi-chan. You especially don't need to hear any more nonsense concerning Rei-chan." And with that last word, Makoto turned her back to Minako and continued down the sidewalk, with Usagi following close behind.

"Wait, where are you guys going?" Minako asked.

Makoto stopped and looked over her shoulder at Minako. "We're doing some window shopping," she replied, "I'm hoping some of these fine displays will cheer Usagi-chan up." She then turned back around and continued on her way, waving to Minako, "See 'ya, Minako-chan."

Minako only stood there as Makoto and Usagi disappeared into the crowd, completely flabbergasted. How could her friends not believe her? Sure, she was a bit of an academic underachiever, but she never lied or made up stories.

'Something's wrong, and Mako-chan's not seeing it,' Minako thought to herself, 'Usagi-chan looked like she believed me. But she's probably too distraught to do anything about it. Oh, what am I going to do?'

..

Meanwhile, Makoto and Usagi stopped in front of a window display at the OSA-P jewelry store and gazed at the fine jewelry.

"I'm sorry about that, Usagi-chan," said Makoto, referring to Minako's story.

"It's okay," said Usagi, "Maybe she was trying to explain why Rei-chan was so mean."

"Yeah, I hope you're right," said Makoto. She then turned to Usagi to see her looking down with a frown on her face. "Come on, Usagi-chan. Don't worry so much about it," she suggested, "Minako-chan probably just made it up. I mean, she did leave right after we did."

"No, it's not that," said Usagi, shaking her head, "I just never seen Rei-chan so mean before since I first met her. She said the most hateful things to me. I mean, she's always called me an idiot when we argued and denied us being friends, but this time she really meant it. She made fun of me, she laughed at me, and she even slapped me in the face. Rei-chan really hates me, she said it herself."

Makoto laid her hand on Usagi's shoulder to comfort her as she was explaining. "I know, Usagi-chan. We all heard it," she replied, giving Usagi's shoulder a gentle squeeze, "But she'll get over it and you two will be friends again in no time. Just let her cool off, okay?"

Usagi turned to Makoto, "I hope you're right, Mako-chan. I really do."

So she and Makoto turned from the OSA-P window display and continued their walk about the Juuban Shopping District. 'That Minako,' Makoto thought to herself, 'I can't believe she'd make up a story to explain Rei-chan's actions. I don't care if she wasn't feeling well, or whatever story Minako-chan comes up with. Rei-chan's behavior was inexcusable. But why only now does their arguing turn so bitter? Something just doesn't add up.'

..

_A half-hour later..._

Rei walked down the streets of the Juuban Shopping Center after her experience back at the Hikawa Jinja. She had spent her entire time walking around one of the Juuban District's many parks, trying to get her mind off of what had happened. It wasn't so much her argument with Usagi that was on her mind, but rather the strong feeling of hate and dread, and the headaches and amazing strength they bestowed upon her. But while walking in the park, she found herself to be more at ease. The overwhelming feelings of hate and anguish did not return, which gave her a chance to focus on her dream, and the cloaked man, as she left the park and entered the Juuban Shopping Center.

But just as the first image of the cloaked man entered her mind, she rounded a corner and collided with another pedestrian, knocking them both to the sidewalk. Rei sat back up and began rubbing her head where she bumped into the other pedestrian, seeing stars as a result of the collision. 'Damn, the last thing I need is another splitting headache,' Rei thought to herself.

"I'm so sorry," a girl's voice immediately said to Rei as she regained her bearings. However, something about that girl's voice struck her as familiar. And when she finally turned to the girl she had bumped into, she found out why as she immediately recognized the trademark pair of dumpling-shaped buns.

"Dammit, Usagi, why don't you watch where the hell you're going," she snapped, "Now I'm going to have another splitting headache, thanks to your clumsiness."

Usagi had also recovered from her collision and quickly noticed Rei just as she had snapped at her. "Oh yeah? You were the one who rounded the corner from out of nowhere with your head in the clouds and ran into me," Usagi argued.

"Don't talk to me about having my head in the clouds," Rei snarled, "You're the one who's always daydreaming about something that'll never happen when you walk into people. In fact, you're such a goddamn klutz that you walk into light posts and even phone booths that even a blind man would miss."

"Don't call me a klutz when you were the one who ran into me, you pompous bitch," Usagi yelled back.

"So you do have a spine, do you," Rei patronized, "Well, just so you know, you were the one who pointed out that you were a klutz. So don't call me _pompous_."

"Why shouldn't I?" Usagi snapped, "You're the one acting all self-righteous and overbearing like you're some spoiled brat."

"That's because I'm better than you, and you know it," Rei responded.

'Damn, not again,' Makoto thought to herself as she held her clinched fist in front of her and gritted her teeth. She had heard enough of Rei's tirades, and she was certain Usagi was too. In fact, the things that Rei was saying to Usagi were starting to make her very angry. She wanted to step in between then and give Rei the verbal thrashing that she had earlier given to Usagi. But more than that, she wanted to slap that smug look off of Rei's face.

But, Makoto gave in to reason and stepped up next to Usagi, placing her hand on her friend's shoulder. "Come Usagi-chan. Let's get out of here," she said, "You especially don't need any more of this..."

"Back off, Makoto!" Rei harshly snapped, "This is between me and the idiot dumpling head." She then turned back to Usagi, "Face it, Usagi. I'm smarter than you. I'm more beautiful than you. I have a better-looking body than your flat-chested body. And I'm more responsible and far more mature than your crybaby ass. And I'm even a better girlfriend than you. Just ask Mamoru."

"What?!" Usagi shrieked, her eyes widening to the size of golf balls, "You were the one who stole my Mamoru-san from me."

"Oh get over yourself," Rei argued, "You didn't even have any feelings for him until '**I**' dated him."

"That was before we found out that we were destined for each other," said Usagi, "And you know it."

"Destined?!" Rei retorted before breaking out into a disparaging laugh, "Oh my God, Usagi. Are you so damn gullible to actually believe in such rubbish? You're so naïve, it insults me."

"And just what the hell do you mean by that?" Usagi challenged.

"Have you already forgotten all the mean and hurtful things that Mamoru used to say about you? God, you're such an idiot, Usagi," said Rei, shaking her head in disappointment, "Well, just to refresh your memory, he made fun of your dumpling hair style. He made fun of your less-than-perfect figure. And best of all, he called you a dumb idiot when he saw your red marks. So don't tell me that you actually '**like**' someone who does nothing but make fun of you."

Those words hit Usagi hard like a hammer. She felt a burning in her chest at the mere thought of how Mamoru used to bully her. 'Damn, I 'd forgotten about all of that,' she thought to herself, 'Ever since I discovered that he was Tuxedo Mask, I had forgiven him.'

"So now you remember that you two were bitter enemies because of the things he said to you and how childish you acted around him," Rei continued, "Good, because he and I think alike. We both think you're nothing but a dumb-ass klutz who eats too much and acts like a baby. He told me himself."

"What?! He still thinks that about me?!" Usagi shrieked.

"That's right. And he's also tired of having to save your sorry ass in battle because you're a pathetic excuse for a Sailor Senshi."

The burning in Usagi's chest got stronger and began to spread. Not only did Rei's words, and apparently Mamoru's too, hurt her, but they angered her. So she stomped her for and clinched her fists. "I am not pathetic," she yelled, "I'm the one with the power to defeat the youma and turn them back into people."

"Yeah, after '**we**' save your ass and weaken the youma," Rei quipped, "Every time one attacks, you run away, whining and crying. You can't fight, you're careless, and you're always getting yourself and us in a bind. How the hell did a dumb, underachieving, clumsy, and cowardly little crybaby like you get to be a Sailor Senshi in the first place? You're useless, Usagi, and you disgust me."

The burning sensation had finally spread to Usagi's throat and face as tears began to well in her eyes.

"Oh? Are you going to cry like you always do?" Rei taunted, "Go ahead and cry? I'm starting to enjoy seeing you cry."

"Damn you, bitch," Usagi barely whimpered.

"Is that all you have to say?" Rei taunted, "Do you realize that your role as a Sailor Senshi is nothing but a farce? And do you realize that your feelings for Mamoru are purely once-sided? Face it, Usagi, he hates you even more than '**I**' do."

Usagi had heard enough. The burning sensation finally overcame her as she broke out into a mild weep.

"How can a smart and sophisticated man like Mamoru ever love a cowardly and worthless crybaby like you?" Rei taunted again, "Destiny doesn't mean shit when you wake up to reality, now does it?"

"I hope you feel real good about yourself, you bitch," Usagi screamed in Rei's face before she ran away, crying.

"Good, run away. I hope you get yourself killed, you pathetic excuse for a Sailor Senshi," Rei yelled as Usagi ran away.

That last exchange pushed Makoto to her boiling point. She trembled quite visibly from the tension and was trying desperately to keep it under control. Throughout the exchange, ever since Rei snapped at her for stepping in to help Usagi, Makoto clenched her fists and squeezed her eyes shut. And hearing Usagi crying did it for her. So he popped her eyes open and stomped toward Rei to defend her friend.

"Hino Rei, what the hell has gotten into you?" Makoto yelled, "How could use make Usagi-chan cry like that?"

"Make her cry? Come now, Mako-chan. Usagi always cries, and you know it," Rei responded, tossing her hair with a flick of her wrist, "All I did was tell her the truth. If the truth hurts her that much, so be it." With that last statement, Rei haughtily turned and walked away.

"Hey! I'm not finished with you," Makoto yelled, stopping Rei before she could take a third step. She then turned to meet the furious Makoto, eye-to-eye. "Who the hell do you think you are, saying things like that about our leader, our Princess?"

"Don't patronize me, Makoto," Rei responded, "A dumb-ass crybaby like Usagi is unworthy of being a Princess, let alone '**my**' Princess."

And suddenly, Makoto completely lost control and slapped Rei across her arrogant face. However, Rei quickly recovered and slapped Makoto back even harder, knocking her to the sidewalk with little effort. Makoto caressed her stinging cheek as she starred up at Rei. 'What the hell was that?' she thought to herself, surprised more at how hard Rei had slapped her than Rei's reaction itself. Even Makoto herself couldn't knock someone her size down so effortlessly. She wanted to fight back, but she thought better of it and stood up, still rubbing her cheek.

"Why don't you just get the hell out of my face," said Makoto, "If you ever hurt Usagi-chan like that again, I swear to God, you'll regret it." And with that last warning, Makoto turned and went to look for Usagi.

'I've never seen such strength from Rei-chan before,' Makoto thought to herself, 'How the hell did she go from not feeling well this morning to displaying such amazing strength so quickly?' And then, she thought about Minako's story from earlier, and her immediate dismissal of it. 'Dammit, Minako-chan was right. Sure, she's a bumbling ditz at times, but she's actually quite reliable. I can't believe I forgot that. I can't believe I doubted her.'

It didn't take long before Makoto heard a girl's sobs. She picked up her pace and followed the sobs though another crowd of pedestrians and to a secluded alleyway. There, she found Usagi, sitting against a wall with her knees curled up and her face buried in her crossed arms.

'Poor Usagi-chan,' Makoto thought to herself, 'She must be thinking that she truly lost her friend. But somehow, I think different. And I know Minako-chan does too. Her sudden change in behavior and her amazing strength have to be somehow connected. We've got to find out what it is and do something about it.'

So Makoto opened her book bag and took her communicator out. But just as she was about to press the button to call her friends, she paused. 'I can't use my communicator,' she thought to herself, 'Rei-chan might be able to listen in and find out. I'll have to call them over the phone.' So she slipped her communicator back into her book bag and reluctantly walked out of the alleyway.

'I'm sorry, Usagi-chan. I'll be back soon, I promise,' she thought as she searched for a payphone. But luckily, her search was rather short as she found a phone booth a couple stores down from the alleyway. She quickly ran inside and locked herself in. And then, she took the handset off its cradle.

'Ami-chan should be home by now,' she thought as she inserted a few coins into the phone and dialed Ami's number. After a few tones, the phone clicked and Ami's voice greeted, "Moshi Moshi?"

"Ami-chan, it's Makoto," Makoto replied.

"Oh, hi Mako-chan. How's Usagi-chan faring?" her gentle voice asked.

"Not good at all, I'm afraid. We just had another run-in with Rei-chan, and it got pretty nasty between them," Makoto replied.

"Oh my God, not again," Ami commented, her disappointment being heard in her voice.

"Ami-chan, listen to me. Something about Rei-chan's not right at all. So I'm holding a meeting at my apartment," Makoto explained, "Can you be there?"

"Of course," Ami replied, "If there's anyway we can help Rei-chan and Usagi-chan, I'll be there."

"Thank you, Ami-chan. We'll see you there," said Makoto before she hung up the phone. She then took the handset off its cradle again, dropped in a few more coins, and dialed Minako's phone number.

'God, I hope Minako-chan isn't out ogling some hot guy like she usually does,' she thought to herself as the ring tone sounded.

"Moshi Moshi," Minako's voice greeted, putting Makoto at ease.

"Minako-chan, it's Makoto. I'm holding a senshi meeting at my apartment. Can you be there?" Makoto said frankly.

"I just got home. But yes, I can make it," Minako replied, "Why? What is it?"

"It's about Rei-chan," Makoto explained, "We just had another run-in with her, and it was even worse than at her house."

"What? She and Usagi-chan got into another really bad fight?" Minako nearly shrieked over the phone, "Is Usagi-chan okay?"

"I'm afraid not," Makoto replied, "The things she said made me want to kick her arrogant little ass all over Juuban. So you can bet Usagi-chan didn't take it well at all."

"Oh my God," Minako gasped over the phone. And then, there was silence between the two for what seemed like hours as thoughts about their fight at the Hikawa Jinja roamed through their minds. Then, Minako spoke up, "Okay, I'll be there. Should I bring Artemis along?"

"No, let him be. This is our problem, not his and Luna's," Makoto replied, "Thank you, Minako-chan. I'll see you there." She then hung up and left the phone booth. She walked back to the alleyway where Usagi still sat against the wall, crying. Makoto kneeled down next to her and gently laid her hand on Usagi's shoulder, "Usagi-chan?"

At the sound of Makoto's voice, Usagi lifted her head from her arms and threw them around Makoto. "Rei-chan hates me, Mako-chan," she wailed, "She really hates me."

Makoto gently wrapped her arms around Usagi and pulled her close as she cried, trying her best to comfort her friend. "I know, Usagi-chan," she said, stroking the back of Usagi's head and neck, "But something is wrong with her. I just know it."

Usagi lifted her face from Makoto's chest, revealing her bloodshot, tear-filled eyes and her runny nose. "What do you mean?" she wondered, still sniffling.

"I mean she doesn't seem like herself," Makoto explained, "Come on, Usagi-chan. Let's go to my place. I'm holding a meeting with you, Ami-chan, and Minako-chan. We're going to find out what the problem is and how to solve it."

Makoto's determination drew a little smile from Usagi. "Thank you, Mako-chan," she gasped.

"You're welcome, Usagi-chan," Makoto replied as she helped Usagi to her feet, "We're all friends. We're all here for each other."

And the girls walked out of the alleyway and toward Makoto's apartment.

..

_Later, Makoto's Apartment..._

A knock sounded at Makoto's door shortly after she and Usagi had gotten settled after their walk from the Juuban Shopping Center. Ami was already waiting for them when they had arrived. So Makoto knew that Minako was the one knocking at her door since Minako had a longer walk from Shiba Kouen. She rose from her couch and walked over to her front door to answer it. When she opened the door, Minako's beaming face greeted her, "Hi, Mako-chan."

"Hello, Minako-chan. Come on in. Ami-chan's already here," said Makoto as she opened the door to let Minako inside. And with all the 4 girls gathered, they assembled around Makoto's coffee table. Minako took her place on the chair, while Makoto joined Usagi and Ami on the couch.

"Okay, everyone," Makoto said to start the meeting, "This isn't a usual senshi meeting for us, and I'm sorry that I called it in such a hurry, and excluded Luna and Artemis. The last thing we'd want is to have them worrying too."

"Don't worry about it, Mako-chan," said Ami, "This is a matter that's purely between us, after all."

"So what happened?" Minako asked, "You didn't really say much over the phone."

"Well..." Makoto paused as she tried to find a way to start the conversation, especially since she herself still had a hard time believing what all she had witnessed, "It was like I said on the phone. Usagi-chan and I had another really bad encounter with Rei-chan. And it was much worse than what we all witnessed during study group." Makoto knew it was rather vague, but at least it would start the meeting off.

"What has gotten into Rei-chan all of a sudden?" Ami wondered, "I know she and Usagi-chan have their disagreements, but what I heard today sounded more like Rei-chan was serious about everything she said."

"Like she meant to hurt Usagi-chan with her words," Minako added.

"Well, she sure as hell did a good job of that," said Usagi. The room fell silent as Usagi closed her eyes, thinking back on her last encounter with Rei. Images of her flashed through her mind, from Rei slapping her at study group to Rei making fun of her feelings for Mamoru. As she relived those events in her mind, she let out a discontented sigh.

Ami and Makoto both noticed the frown on Usagi's face. They both placed a hand on Usagi's shoulders and gave them a gentle and affectionate squeeze. And that action drew a few tears from Usagi's eyes. "Why, Rei-chan? Why have you become so hateful?" she whimpered to no one in particular.

"That's what we're here to discuss," Makoto replied as she caressed Usagi's shoulder. Then, she turned back to the group, "After Usagi-chan ran away, I stepped in to defend her and scold Rei-chan for being such a bitch and saying such mean and hurtful things. I even slapped her for making Usagi-chan cry like that. But... then she slapped me back so hard that I fell to the sidewalk pretty damn hard."

"She did what?!" Ami and Minako exclaimed.

"I've been in plenty of fights at my old school, but the strength that Rei-chan displayed when she slapped was unlike anything I ever experienced," she explained. She then placed her hand on her cheek where Rei had slapped her earlier and began caressing it, "And I can still feel it, too."

"Now do you believe what I saw?" Minako scorned.

Makoto only submissively averted her eyes as she replied, "Yes. I'm sorry I doubted you, Minako-chan."

"What did _**you**_ see, Minako-chan?" Ami asked.

"Well, after I washed up, I heard Rei-chan scream. And then I saw her pick up the living room table and throw it against the wall more easily than even Mako-chan would've," she explained, "That's when I ran away from the shrine and finally caught up with Usagi-chan and Mako-chan."

"First she starts saying really mean things to Usagi, and now she's suddenly developed amazing strength," Ami summarized, "Something just isn't adding up."

"Yeah, she's definitely not herself. I just know it," Makoto added, "For her to have suddenly changed like this, something about her is not right at all. Whoever she is, that's _**not**_ Rei-chan."

"You mean she's someone else posing as Rei-chan?" Minako suggested.

"No, she knows us too well to be someone else," said Ami, "It's more like something is manipulating her."

"That's it," Usagi spoke up as an idea came to her, "That explains why she looked and acted like she was sick this morning."

"Oh right, I had forgotten about that," said Makoto, "But you two didn't even bicker very much. She just teased you about actually being awake early on a Saturday morning. And that's pretty usual for you two."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Usagi reluctantly said, hanging her head down.

"So whatever is affecting Rei-chan has to have started then," said Minako, "The question is: what is affecting her?"

"Maybe she's possessed," suggested Ami.

And silence instantly fell upon the living room with Ami's rather odd suggestion. Ami was never known to ever be into anything paranormal, often pursuing a more concrete and scientific explanation for things. Finally, Usagi spoke up, "Possessed? What do you mean '_possessed_'? You mean like some evil spirit or something?"

"Precisely," Ami replied.

"But that's only in books and movies," said Minako, immediately dismissing Ami's suggestion.

"I don't know, Minako-chan. I'm agreeing with Ami-chan on this," Makoto rebutted, "We've seen the Dark Kingdom possess people and even turn them into youma."

"Are you saying that the Dark Kingdom is at it again, and is making Rei-chan say all those mean things?" Usagi wondered.

"I don't know if it's the Dark Kingdom or some other evil spirit," Ami replied, "Either way, possession explains both her sudden change in behavior and her amazing strength."

"God, I wish we had Rei-chan's spiritual powers right now," said Usagi as she frowned, "She'd know what it is that's controlling her and what to do about it... but dammit, _**she's**_ the one who's possessed."

"So what do we do about her?" Minako wondered, "Do we just walk right up to her and make her stop being such a bitch?"

"I don't know," Ami replied as she averted her eyes.

"We could ask her grandfather to perform an exorcism," Makoto suggested, "After all, he _**is**_ a Shinto priest."

"If he'll believe us," Usagi doubtfully added.

"And if he doesn't try to flirt with us first," Minako added.

"Okay, bad idea," Makoto surrendered.

"Well, Usagi-chan, until we figure out what to do about her, I suggest you stay away from Rei-chan," Ami recommended, giving Usagi's shoulder another gentle squeeze, "I know it's hard for us to see our friend like this, but for now, it's best to avoid any confrontations."

Usagi only hung her head and frowned at the thought of something making Rei hate her. In a way, it was relieving that none of it seemed to be Rei's fault. However, it didn't lessen the emotional blow that Rei had given her. Those words sounded like Rei had meant them, and they made a tear roll down Usagi's cheek. Makoto took Usagi's hand into hers while Minako got up from her chair and took Usagi's other hand, both girls comforting her. "Cheer up, Usagi-chan," said Makoto, "We're all here for you and Rei-chan."

"Yeah, we'll find a way though this, okay?" Minako added. Usagi nodded in reply.

Suddenly, their communicators began beeping. Ami quickly grabbed hers, while Makoto and Minako were slow to grab theirs as they still had Usagi's hands in theirs. Usagi, still distraught over Rei, and with both her hands occupied, didn't even think about grabbing hers. When they answered their communicators, Luna's face showed on screen.

"Everyone, there's trouble in Roppongi. A powerful youma is attacking the people there. Please help them," Luna said.

"We'll be there," Ami replied before they all shut their communicators off. Usagi, however, let go of her friends' hands and hung her head in defeat.

"Stay away from her, huh?" she commented, "That's easier said than done."

"Damn, I didn't think about that," said Makoto, "We can't avoid her as Sailor Senshi."

"Then you'll just have to fight alongside her," suggested Ami, "Just focus on the fight rather than her, okay? We'll worry about Rei-chan after the battle."

"That's so easy for you to say, Ami-chan," Usagi disputed, "You're not the one who just had your friend completely disown you. You're not the one who had all kinds of hateful things said to you... and still have to fight alongside her." Then, more tears began to well in Usagi's eyes, "I can't ignore her, I just can't."

Ami immediately grabbed Usagi and jerked her into a tight embrace, then began stroking the back of her head. "I understand, Usagi-chan," she whispered, "But you have to be strong. You're our Princess. You're our leader. We look up to you. So for our sake, and for Rei-chan's sake, you have to be strong. We'll worry about Rei-chan, okay?"

Usagi looked back up at Ami, "I hope you're right, Ami-chan. I really do." She then wiggled out of Ami's arms and rose from the couch. "Okay, everyone, let's go," she said. And with Rei still heavy on their minds, the girls bolted out of Makoto's apartment and dashed toward Roppongi, not forgetting to transform along the way.

_end of Part II_

* * *

Disclaimer: As usual, Sailor Moon and most of the characters ain't mine, but belong to Naoko Takeuchi. And God bless that woman for creating such great entertainment for all of us with a lot of free time on our hands to enjoy. The English dub belongs to DiC Entertainment and Cloverway, and I only thank them for bringing' it to America, nothin' more. But Russell Hino/Hino Kyodai, Tuxedo Inferno, Titanius, and Deanna Kokorono/Kokorono Meijin are MINE (in a growling voice). So, please don't sue me. I'm just a lonely man who ain't got anythang but his pride. Well, y'all enjoy this fanfic and e-mail me.

Have fun Sailor Moon fans,  
Viper Inferno  
(Y2V)


	3. Part III

Title: Up In Flames - Part III

Author: Viper Inferno

Genre: Dark Drama

Rated: PG-13

Summary: Rei and Usagi do have their arguments. But what happens when it really goes too far? Their relationship has gone from friendly bickering to utter hatred. What has happened? Why is Rei like this all of a sudden? Can they go back to being friends again?

* * *

Up In Flames

_By Viper Inferno_

Part III

_Hikawa Jinja..._

Rei had walked back home after her encounter with Usagi and Makoto. And since then, the same feelings of hate and anguish have been dominating her mind once again. Despite her peace from being outside, these feelings of hate had become more and more familiar to her, and comforting at the same time. However, they also troubled her as something else from her previous encounter stuck in her mind.

'I could care less what happens to Usagi, but she's gone and dragged Mako-chan into our affair as well,' Rei pondered, 'I'd hate to end up fighting Mako-chan as well. It's supposed to be between me and that idiot Usagi. God, if I lose the others because of that useless bitch...'

Suddenly, Rei's communicator sounded, interrupting her thoughts. "Damn," she swore to herself as she reached into her pocket and extracted her communicator. "I hope it's not Mako-chan wanting to have a few more words with me over that worthless excuse for a Sailor Senshi," she muttered under her breath as she pressed the button. However, it wasn't Makoto's face that showed itself on the screen, but rather Luna's.

"Everyone, there's trouble in Roppongi. A powerful youma is attacking the people there. Please help them," Luna said over Rei's communicator. After hearing of the danger in the Roppongi District, Rei shut off her communicator without so much as a reply. 'A battle, huh?' Rei thought to herself as she slipped her communicator back into her pocket, 'That means I have to fight alongside that little crybaby.'

"Yes, now is your chance to prove yourself to be better than her," the cloaked man's voice said in her mind, "It's your chance to prove your superiority once and for all."

As great as it sounded to Rei, she only frowned at the cloaked man's words as her recent encounter lingered in her mind. 'Yeah, but what if I alienate the others in the process? I've already got Mako-chan wanting to fight me,' she thought to herself.

"Don't worry about them," the cloaked man's voice replied, "Once you prove yourself as superior and the more suitable leader, they'll follow you rather than her."

'I suppose you're right,' Rei replied in thought. Just as she replied, an aura of hatred overtook her. She felt the heat from it flowing in her veins, fueling her hatred toward Usagi. She smiled at the rather relieving feeling as it erased all doubt from her mind. "Humph, so I have to fight with her. Big deal. I hope that crybaby little bitch gets killed," Rei muttered under her breath.

"Go out there and fight," the cloaked man's words echoed in her mind.

Rei smiled at both her and the cloaked man's words as she grabbed her henshin pen and ran out her front door.

..

_Roppongi District, 20 minutes later..._

Having already transformed, Sailor Mars arrived in the Roppongi District in one of the bustling restaurant areas. There, she witnessed the other senshi locked in battle against an ugly demi-human youma. Many vines and spokes covered its body, both of which it used quite liberally in its battle with the Sailor Senshi.

In an instant, the youma extended its vines and batted Sailor Venus aside. It then grabbed a hold of Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter and began to squeeze them. It then extended another vine and started swinging it at Sailor Moon. She squeaked, yelped, and whined as she narrowly dodged every attack.

Seeing her friends in trouble, Sailor Mars clasped her hands together. 'I may not give a shit about Usagi anymore, but if I'm to become the rightful leader, then I need to act like one and save the others,' she thought to herself as she charged her attack. "Fire Soul!"

Sailor Mars fired a large ball of fire at the youma, striking it dead in its vine and spike-covered chest. It yelled in pain and staggered backward, releasing Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter and stopping its assault on Sailor Moon.

Saved, the 4 senshi turned to find their fiery companion staring the youma down. While Sailor Mercury, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus felt grateful for her help, Sailor Moon only sneered. "It's nice of you to finally show up, Sailor Mars," Sailor Moon said sarcastically, "And you're always nagging me for always being late."

"Oh shut up, you swine. I wasn't doing it for your sake," Sailor Mars shot back, "Maybe next time I'll let it grab you and squeeze the living shit out of you, you ungrateful bitch."

"Fine, I don't need your help anyway, you selfish..." Sailor Moon yelled.

"Sailor Moon, enough!" Sailor Jupiter yelled, cutting her off, "Forget about her and focus on the youma."

"Thank you, Sailor Jupiter," said Sailor Mars in response to her friend's interference.

Sailor Jupiter, however, only shot her a quick glare, "Don't thank me. Just help us fight this thing."

"The youma is quite powerful," said Sailor Mercury, having already donned her goggles, "It'll take all of us to defeat it."

"I understand," Sailor Mars replied, "Let's split up and try a coordinated attack. That should make it harder for the youma to take all of us out."

"That sounds like a plan," said Sailor Mercury as she split away from the rest of the group.

'Yeah, I just hope Usagi doesn't screw it up like she usually does,' Sailor Mars thought to herself as she too split away from the group.

"You're already proving to be a great leader," the cloaked man's voice said to her, "Let that desire and your natural ability drive you in this battle, and they'll be certain to follow you and not her."

"Right," Sailor Mars said to no one in particular as she took her battle stance.

The youma recovered from Sailor Mars' vicious fire attack, only to receive a wicked jolt from Sailor Jupiter. The youma ended up seeing stars from Sailor Jupiter's rather powerful attack. However, despite being a little dazed, the youma still stood on its feet. Sailor Mars saw this opportunity and seized it. "Everyone, coordinated attack, now!" she ordered.

"Right," the other senshi replied, nodding to Sailor Mars.

"Humph," Sailor Moon scoffed. 'Who the hell does she think she is, ordering us around like that? Possessed or not, it still pisses me off every time she bosses us around,' she thought to herself as she removed her tiara and charged her attack, 'We'll help her later. For now, we have to fight.'

"Shabon Spray!"

"Supreme Thunder!"

Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter joined their attacks first. They fired an electrically-charged volley of bubbled and mist, striking the youma in the chest. The force of the attack caused it to stumble backward and yelp in pain. But yet, it still stood on its feet.

"Fire Soul!"

"Crescent Beam!"

Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus launched their simultaneous attacks from different angles, yet struck the youma in the same spot on its back. That attack send the youma staggering forward, yet failed to knock it down.

'This youma's tough," Sailor Moon thought to herself. "Moon Tiara Action!" she yelled as she hurled her tiara at the staggering youma.

But as the tiara flew near the youma's face, it quickly recovered from its daze and quickly batted the tiara away. All 5 senshi's eyes popped wide open in awe as the youma easily withstood their coordinated attack and deflected Sailor Moon's tiara. And before they could react, the youma quickly extended a large number of vines from its body and toward the awestruck senshi.

In one swift blow, its massive vines knocked Sailor Venus to the ground rather hard. It struck Sailor Mercury in the chest and sent her flying into the side of a building. Sailor Jupiter tried to jump out of the way, only to trip over one of the youma's vines. It quickly grabbed a hold of her and bound her in its vines before she could even hit the ground. Sailor Mars, however, fared better than her friends as the vines merely grazed her, causing her to stumble to the ground.

With the other 4 senshi down, the youma turned its attention to Sailor Moon. It launched another volley of vines at her. Sailor Moon screamed as she jumped out of the way, narrowly escaping the onslaught. She then turned and ran from the youma, jumping away from and dodging every attack thrown at her.

Meanwhile, Sailor Mars stood back up from her near miss and witnessed Sailor Moon yelping and whining like a scared puppy as she ran from the youma's attacks.

"Humph! That idiot Usagi," Sailor Mars muttered under her breath as she crossed her arms and shook her head in disappointment.

"You see? She is nothing but a bumbling crybaby who can't fight on her own, as you so pointed out to her," the cloaked man's voice said in her mind, "How can someone like her be worthy of the title as Princess and the leader of the Sailor Team?"

"Yeah, I know," Sailor Mars said to herself.

Suddenly, as Sailor Moon dodged another attack, she tripped over a piece of debris in the road. And as she went airborne, the youma caught her in its vines and entangled her. "I have you now, Princess," the youma taunted in a monster-like voice as it squeezed her like a vice.

"Sailor... Moon...," Sailor Mercury grunted as she struggled to push herself to her feet.

"Sailor Mars... help her...," Sailor Venus barely muttered above a whisper, knowing her weak pleas wouldn't reach her.

Sailor Mars, however, just watched on as the youma continued to squeeze her. She was not only awestruck at the speed of the youma's attack, but also uncertain about what to do. But suddenly, a group of vines behind the youma gathered to form a long and extremely sharp spike.

"This is it," the cloaked man said to Sailor Mars, "Her carelessness has once again brought you and your team down, and now she's about to pay the ultimate price for it. This is what you desire. This is what you've been held back from. Let that bumbling bitch die and take your rightful place as their leader."

As those words resonated in her mind, another wave of hate and fury rushed through her body, bringing with it another sense of comfort.

But suddenly, as the youma lifted its huge spike, a completely different feeling of anxiety struck her like a bolt of lightning, sending quite a disturbing burning sensation surging from her chest and throughout her body. Then, images of her dream from last night began to flash in her mind: images of their battle with a powerful youma and Sailor Moon's foolish actions. But what really beckoned her was the horrifying image of Sailor Moon being impaled from behind by the scorpion's spiky tail.

And without second thought, Sailor Mars engulfed her hands in flames and charged at the youma. She then hurled powerful balls of fire at it, striking both the huge spike and the vines bound Sailor Moon, thus severing them both. She then gracefully waved her arms like a beautiful dancer, forming a massive ball of fire in front of her.

"Fire... **Soul!**"

And with all her strength, she launched that ball of fire at the awestruck and pain-stricken youma. It struck with such force, that it not only put the youma in a daze, but also knocked it to the ground with earth-shattering force.

"What the hell are you doing?!" the cloaked man's voice scolded, "You were supposed to let her die."

Sailor Moon, freed from the clutches of the youma, only stomped over to Sailor Mars with fury burning in her eyes. "What the hell are you doing?" she scorned, "I was just about to make my move. Are you trying to get all the glory by bossing me around and interfering? Why don't you just back off..."

"Enough!" Sailor Mars snapped. But then, she stopped herself and gave in to reason. "Just shut up and kill the damned thing," she more calmly ordered.

"Huh?" Sailor Moon replied, perplexed at Sailor Mars' unexpected response, "Umm... okay." So she turned back to the youma, who was barely struggling to get to its feet, and drew her Moon Stick.

"Moon Healing Escalation!" She showered the struggling youma in the power of the Silver Crystal. In moments, the youma screamed _"Refresh"_ before disintegrating into dust.

And then, all of a sudden, a powerful wave of fear, jealousy, and hate hit Sailor Mars all at once. They hit her so hard that they brought her to her knees and inflicted her with an overwhelming migraine.

"What the hell were you thinking?" the cloaked man's voice scolded again, "It was all yours for the taking. It was what you desired."

'No,' Sailor Mars thought to herself, 'That dream... it was a premonition. It had nothing to do with any desire to take her place... because I screamed and cried when she died in my dream.'

"But it was your destiny, yet you threw it away and once again surrendered your superiority to her. You're not going to get this chance again," the cloaked man continued. And as he said those words, Sailor Mars' headache grew more powerful, drawing a few groans from her.

Sailor Moon noticed Sailor Mars' distress and an up to her. Despite all their earlier arguments, even to the point where there friendship was seemingly over, Sailor Moon still showed a lot of concern for her friend. "Sailor Mars, are you alright? What's happening to..." she said, before Sailor Mars held her open palm out, stopping her dead in her tracks.

"Please... Sailor Moon...," Sailor Mars grunted, "Just... back off..."

Sailor Moon reluctantly obeyed, worried about her friend and wondering what was happening to her. "Rei-chan," she gasped under her breath.

"You can't be surrendering to her," the cloaked man continued, "It's holding you back from what you desire, holding you back from your destiny."

'Destiny? Don't make me laugh,' Sailor Mars thought to herself, 'If this destiny involves seeing Usagi dead, then I want no part of it.'

And just as she argued back, another wave of wrath struck her, bringing her to her hands and knees as her entire body burned with hate. 'Damn you. These aren't my feelings,' Sailor Mars thought, 'These feelings of hate were yours all along.'

The other 3 senshi, having recovered from their beatings, saw Sailor Mars dropping to her hands and knees in pain. "Oh my God, Sailor Mars," Sailor Mercury exclaimed as she and Sailor Venus ran toward their friend in distress.

"Stop!" Sailor Jupiter barked as she threw her arm in from of them to stop them.

"What are you doing? Let us through," Sailor Venus protested as she pushed and struggled against her friend's outstretched arm, "Can't you see she's in pain?"

"Yes, I know," Sailor Jupiter replied, "But this is a battle we can't fight. She has to fight this one alone."

"What do you mean?" Sailor Venus snapped.

'That's right, I remember now," Sailor Mercury thought to herself, "She really is possessed. She's fighting something in her mind. That explains everything," she explained.

"We have to help her," Sailor Venus proclaimed.

"What are we going to do, blast her?" said Sailor Jupiter, "Face it, there's nothing we can do except pray that she overcomes this evil."

Meanwhile, Sailor Mars continued to struggle with the cloaked man and the overwhelming headache and negative emotions within her.

"Why? Why do you continue to serve a weak and clumsy little crybaby like her? You're better than her in every way. You feel that you're the more suitable leader. So why did you throw away your one chance to take what is rightfully yours?" said the cloaked man.

'I know she's a klutz,' Sailor Mars thought to herself, 'I know she's a crybaby. I know she's dense as a mule sometimes. That's why I have to be strong. I not only protect her from evil like that youma, but I also protect her from her own carelessness.'

"But why do you use your powers to protect such a pathetic excuse for a princess?" the cloaked man demanded.

'She may be a crybaby and a bit of a klutz, but she's a girl who's filled with love and joy,' she thought in response, 'She has a heart as pure as snow, one that's worth protecting.'

"But you two hate each other," the cloaked man argued, "You're always poking fun at her. You're always bickering, at times harshly, over everything. You're the one who's always pointing out her flaws. It's you who thinks she's inferior."

'I only want what's best for her, and you know it,' Sailor Mars responded with her thoughts, 'I want her to be strong. I want her to be the best. She may annoy the hell out of me sometimes, but I enjoy her company. Usagi was the first real friend I had since Mother died and Father left me at the temple. We may not have gotten along at first, but her love and joy made me warm up to her. It's her spirit that keeps me going and keeps me happy. The truth is... I couldn't live life very well without Usagi.'

"Then you're weak," the cloaked man's voice scolded, "You're spending your potential and your life submitting to someone who's only going to continue holding you back."

'I'm not weak,' she thought to herself, 'She doesn't hold me back. In fact, she only makes me work harder and become stronger. She shares with me her love and joy, and I share my spirit, my desires, and my friendship. It's something that evil spirits like you will never understand. I'm care a lot about Usagi. I'm there for her when she needs a friend. If something were to happen to her, like in my dream last night, I just wouldn't know what to do. Usagi's my friend, I love her, and she means a lot to me. And I won't let evil nightmares like you turn me against her and hurt her."

And then, despite her body burning inside and splitting headache pounding away, Sailor Mars slowly and painfully pushed herself back to her feet. She other Senshi could only watch as she pulled out one of her ofuda. 'In the name of Mars, and for my friend, Usagi, I'll punish you," she thought to herself as she held her ofuda in front of her and closed her eyes.

"Rin, Pyou, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen," she chanted, empowering her ofuda, "Akuryou Taisan!"

To everyone's surprise, Sailor Mars slammed the ofuda against her own face. And as she did, the cloaked man let out a deep, resonant, horrifying scream to where even the other senshi heard. As he screamed, a dark purple mist began to escape from Sailor Mars' body and mind.

"So that's what made Rei-chan so strong that she could so effortlessly hurl a heavy table," said Sailor Venus.

Sailor Moon, however, only fell to her knees. "So that's what's gotten into Rei-chan and made her so hateful," she gasped, remembering her meeting at Makoto's.

Once the dark mist left Sailor Mars, it faded away into nothingness. Hino Rei had won the battle and overcome the evil nightmare. The splitting migraine and burning sensation were both gone, but the battle had left her exhausted as she fell to her knees.

"Sailor Mars!" Sailor Moon exclaimed as jumped up and ran over to her, "Sailor Mars... Rei-chan, are you alright?"

Sailor Mars sat there, not even turning to her meet her friend's eyes as she replied, "Yes Usagi. I am now." After that, there was nothing but silence between them as the other senshi watched on anxiously; wondering what was going to happen next.

Finally, Sailor Mars spoke up first, "Usagi... I'm so sorry." A single tear rolled down her cheek, although Sailor Moon was oblivious to it as Sailor Mars didn't even bear to look at her.

"Rei-chan," Sailor Moon gasped, not knowing what to say.

"I know everything I said to you," Sailor Mars explained, with her voice cracking a bit, "I remember every bit of it as clear as day. I said some very mean and hateful things to you, things I would never have thought about you, let alone said."

"It wasn't your fault, Rei-chan," Sailor Moon replied, "You were possessed. That evil spirit was making you say those things."

"Sailor Mars shook her head in response, "That doesn't excuse it. I acted on those feelings of hate and said those things for the sole purpose of hurting you. I've caused you so much emotional pain and suffering and even dragged everyone else into it." Sailor Mars then turned to her friend to show her the tears that were cascading down both cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Usagi," she weakly gasped, "If you can't forgive me and even hate me for it, I understand."

"Rei-chan!" Sailor Moon snapped as she leaped over to Sailor Mars and threw her arms around her in a tight embrace. "I could never hold a grudge against you, especially when it wasn't your fault," said Sailor Moon, "We're friends, and friends forgive each other when they do wrong. Besides, it's part of the love and justice that we fight for. Of course I forgive you, Rei-chan. Don't ever think such silly things, okay?"

"Oh Usagi," Sailor Mars gasped, tightening their embrace as she silently shed her tears into her friend's shoulder. 'That's another thing I love about Usagi,' Sailor Mars thought to herself, 'She cares greatly for her friends and will always love them and be for them, no matter what their short-comings. As a Sailor Senshi, no... as her friend, I would gladly lay my life down to protect her and everything about her.'

As they embraced, the other 3 senshi ran up to them and joined in their joyous reunion.

"I'm glad it's all over now," said Sailor Venus.

"Me too," Sailor Jupiter added, "I'm glad that Rei-chan's back to her old self again."

"And I'm glad you two made up," said Sailor Mercury, "I really thought your friendship was over for sure."

Sailor Moon, with Sailor Mars still in her arms, turned to her friends with a tear rolling down her cheeks. "Thank you, everyone," she gasped, "Thank you for helping us."

"You're welcome, Usagi-chan," Sailor Mercury replied.

"Hey, that's what we're here for, right?" Sailor Venus added.

After their joyous reunion, Sailor Venus backed away from the rest of the group. "Hey everyone, I really need to start getting home," she said, "Mother's going to kill me if I'm out too long."

"I need to be going too," said Sailor Mercury, "I have to finish studying from where we left off this morning. Do you want to come over, Mako-chan?"

That sudden question surprised Sailor Jupiter, with her eyes doubling in size, "Umm... Ami-chan, all you ever do is study."

"That's not true," said Sailor Moon, "She's actually great company when she's not in her books."

"Well, we can study a little bit, and then you can make one of your fine dinners afterward," suggested Sailor Mercury before she looked at the ground and drew circles with the toe of her boot, "I could use some company since Mother's on call at the hospital."

"Okay, I'll join you," said Sailor Jupiter, "But what about Usagi-chan and Rei-chan?"

Before Sailor Mercury could answer, Sailor Mars spoke up, "I think it's just going to be me and Usagi tonight." She then turned to Sailor Moon, "Is that okay with you?"

"Mmhmm," Sailor Moon nodded.

"If you want, you can stay the night," Sailor Mars offered.

"Really?!" Sailor Moon squealed, her face perking up at that offer.

"Sure. I'd love to have you over," Sailor Mars replied, "We're friends, right?"

"Yes," Sailor Moon replied before tightening her embrace around Sailor Mars.

"We can even read some of my manga too," said Sailor Mars.

"All right, Rei-chan's manga," Sailor Moon said gleefully, tightening her embrace again.

After that, they all left Roppongi and made their separate ways home. Ami and Makoto got together and enjoyed some of Makoto's fine cooking. And Usagi and Rei enjoyed each other's company throughout their sleepover at the Hikawa Jinja.

Rei's nightmare had failed to destroy her friendship with Usagi. In the end, it only made their bond stronger.

_The End_

* * *

Disclaimer: As usual, Sailor Moon and most of the characters ain't mine, but belong to Naoko Takeuchi. And God bless that woman for creating such great entertainment for all of us with a lot of free time on our hands to enjoy. The English dub belongs to DiC Entertainment and Cloverway, and I only thank them for bringing' it to America, nothin' more. But Russell Hino/Hino Kyodai, Tuxedo Inferno, Titanius, and Deanna Kokorono/Kokorono Meijin are MINE (in a growling voice). So, please don't sue me. I'm just a lonely man who ain't got anythang but his pride. Well, y'all enjoy this fanfic and e-mail me.

Have fun Sailor Moon fans,  
Viper Inferno  
(Y2V)


End file.
